Ceiling mold



R. T. WALES IEILING MOLD 2 Sheets-Sheet l INK/zamora z/fw pral z, 1929.

Filed July 28, 1925 R; T. WALES v CEILING MOLD April 2, 1929.

'2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July 28, 1925 n By Attorneys, #f1/mmh,

UNITED-'STA CIK Patented Api'. 2, 1929.

PAT-ENT OFFICE.

ROWLAND fr; WALES,` oir-lauw noeiinLLE, NEW YORK.

CEILING ivionn.

iippiieatilon ied'nuy 2s, i925. serial No; 46,601.

'This invention relates to ceiling molds, particularly of the type suitable for flat slab concrete ceilings.

The object of this invention is toprovide a ceiling mold in Which the majorv portion of the rstructural material employed maybe safely released for use at other points considerably earlier.` tlianis possible in accordg` ancevvith the best present practice. This' ing upon'removal-oi'the vmold boards or panels, is eliminated. This capacity eliminates much of the risk incident to the present practice of stripping the ceiling mold structure While the concrete or other mate-- rials of Which theceiling'is cast,-vis ina green or partially hardenedstate, andalso incident to the subsequent reposting ot such areas to support them until the material of the ceilinghas hardened sutlic'iently to safely support its own Weight and Whatever load itmay be intended to carry. p

A further object of the invention is to pro-k vide moldyboards or panels and. horizontal supporting members therefor Which are' readily removable and permit of'stripping any desired portion of the ceiling` mold With` out interfering inf any Wayv with the continuous support of the posts, Which are always acting at least inpart to support vthe green ceiling slab at suitable intervals a independently of the mold boards.

A further object of he invention is tofprovide a ceiling` lmold structure which is sectionally removable, Vwhereby any desired 'portion of va ceilingA may be stripped'vvithi out interferencev with other sections of the mold and Without cutting or in any Way damaging any of fthe structural elements or` materials of the ceiling mold.

A `further object of the invention is to proy vide suitable standard structural 'elements for form .construction which may be readily Y assembled and adjusted. The use ot'certain metal members in the forms is vrendered cccnomical because of the comparatively shortV time during Which most of are tied up.

the-mold parts The invention further. provides novel means torlargely eliminating` posts ordi-fnarily required for the slioring upV or' 'remnant ai'eas. y' According to the present invention, `the posts or shores which ordinarily serve merely to support the strncturewhicli 'sup ports they mold boards andvvhich.Inustbef removed in order to stripsuch boards from thc ceiling; are now disposed so as to support the material 'of V'the ceiling over suitb nox' etV

ably distributed supporting areas independvently of the mold boards, whereby thev necessity for re-postiiig is entirely climi r` nated.y At the same` time there is rprovided a releasable and alsopreferably adjustable support for the said mold boards and such f horizontal structural elements as` are necessary tor immediately supporting them.' The posts, according kto the presen't'finvention,

v'I5 whether theyy be supporting fthe structure which supports the mold boards in position@ it is first cast, or :whether ,they serve to support'tlie ceiling slab independently of such mold boards after the slab'is partiallyhardf ened, occupy the Vsame position and never need be disturbed until the iiecessityjorl supporting the ceiling` has passed.

The advantages of a ceiling mold accordp ing to' the present invention` are' numerous.

Obviously, all the dangers incident to the ,toy receive the plastic ceiling material when,

ordinary re-shoring method have been done ,Y y away With',because of thefact that the 'oeil-57.

ing", While it is vin a green state, is never for in any W- ay disturbed by the removal ofthe stripping.

molds may be carried outl With'safetyconfsiderably earlier than Would be 'possible in a moment .left unshor'ed nor are the postsrmold boards `asin the lordinary `process of i The vstripping of thepresent v,

the ordinary re-shoring system.v This has two marked advantages, one being, that the mold' boards or panels 4and the materials of the horizontal supporting structure immediately supporting` the same may be released for use at other points considerably earlier tlianjis iossible according to the usual meth-v ods employed'g ith a consequent savingxon the investment represented in the tyingjup of suchmaterials for long periods; the sece aire is thatbecause of the mold l ond advaii boards being* removable comparatively early,V

aiid'yvith safety, dueto the fact that at'no time is any considerable' portion'lof theceiling unposted, thev ceiling surface, because roft its' relativelyV green condition, may be" more easily dressed. Ifrthe mold facing were required to be kept in place until the material of the ceiling had su'lliciently hardened to permit the safe removal of the posts in order to strip the mold from the ceiling in the ordinary way, the ceiling material would be too hard to permit of'ready dressing of the concrete surface. Because -of the fact that small sections of the ceiling mold may beremoved independently of and Without disturbing adjacent mold sections,

n certain areas near the permanent columns fand walls of the building may be stripped to be absolutel interchangeable thus VJermitting a relatively small equipment of mold parts to do a given amount of work.

A given piece of concrete construction can be carried out with the molds herein described with considerably less manual labor than would be required where-the ordinary type of ceiling mold constructionis used, for the reason that'the major part of the Work of erecting the mold structure is now mainly that of assembling standard mold parts, comparatively little actua-l carpentry being required. Furthermore, men will not be delayed as they sometimes are, because of the materials, for form construction, be-

ing tied up for long periods of time, much of the material of the mold structure according to the present invention being releasable considerably earlier than is ordif narily possible.

Further features Will be set forth in the v"detailed description of the invention Vfollowing herewith, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is an elevation of the preferred embodiment of the invention taken parallel to the ledger or permanent beam line and shows the complete mold assembly as it would be used in actual service to support -a concrete floor when first poured.

Fig. 2 is an elevation taken at right angles to the View shown in Figure l and along the line 2 2 0f said ligure, the ledgers and mold facing being shown in section.

' Figa 3 is a plan View showing in fragmentary section parts of the ledgers and the posts and a complete adjustabletemporary sustaining beam, or spreader.

of the figure while maintaining the 'scale4 sufiiciently large to show the necessaryv details.

Fig. is an enlarged central, vertical section of the upper end of one of the supporting posts and elements of the mold structure attached thereto shown in Fig. 5, the sectionl being taken along the line 7-,7 of that ligure.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the leveradjusting pole shown inFig. 5. i

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the mold surface yas placed on the modified mold structure shown in Fig. 5. y

'lhe invention in its preferred embodiment preferably cemprises vertical posts l, (often spoken of as shores). After a pair of such posts are erected, the inverted U-beam 2 is placed between them, approximately half the Width of the posts, fitting within the ends of the beam 2, as shown. The top surface of the inverted U-beam lies over the top of the post and the weight of the beam and any load thereon istransmitted to the post at this point. The ends of the beam may be reinforced in any suitable manner, a plate 3 in the form of a Z and arc welded at points l Within the channel of the beam, as indicated in the fragmentary section shown at the right'of Figure l, being a ,desirablev construction. l

This form of reinforcement has the additional vadvantage Aof formingJ a stop to accurately positiona postV in relation to the end of the beam, and also constitutes something in the nature of a guide lsurface whereby the post may be guided to a true vertical position. It lwill be observed that when a post is inserted between `the ends of two beams 2, 2 having reinforcing members 3, 3 set in their ends as above described, the end of the post is held nicely fitting square socket formed by the beam ends and transverse reinforcing plates 3, 3. After erection, successive beams joining on top of posts are temporarily fastened'- together by any suitable means, holes 5 in the flanges 6 of the beams nearthe ends thereof, and through which wires 7, may

be threaded from one beam to the next,`

serving `conveniently'for this purpose.v Separate wires may be employed for each beam end, each wire being threaded through the `virtually Within a holes and aroundl the face of the postleX-k tien'somewhat analogous tothat of the inember referred to.

The inverted `Ubeam or ledger 2 formed,

as shown, with a. `plurality of vertical slots 9 spaced at frequent intervals centrally along both sides of the ibea'm.- Athree inch spacing for these slots has been foundsuitable,

this Varrangement affording a @sufficiently close adjustinentof the transversebeains 11 supported in said vslots to permit of theirV l n ithereof. yBy such a dispcsition'of the levers the line of support of the spreader 'will pass proper disposition with respect to the mold boards or facing, which they, 1n turn, sustain.

-The transverse sustaining beams 11 or spreaders, as they areusually called, will now be' described. j

The sustaining beams or spreaders 11 are preferably constructed of wide boards placed edgewise, as shown, for the sake of securing maximum'rigidity in the support of vertical loads.` At both ends of thebeam or spreader piecel of v11 are pivoted adjusting levers 12, thel ends of which, projecting beyond the ends of beam 11, enter the previously described slots 9 in the ledgers 2, as shown. rlhe .levers 1,2 are intended to be mounted permanently on the beams or spreaders 11 so thatjon any given concrete construction such spreaders may be usedat one point,- ta'lren down, and erected at another point on the job, withV the adjusting levers 12 always in place. In shipping quantities of the mold partait will be found generally desirable, because of conserving space, tovdetach the levers from the spreaders 11. A

The levers vided with suitablewashers tohold the lever l securely. The bolt 13 passes through alongitudinal slot 14, centrally formed,` as shown,

to provide an elem-ent of longitudinal ad- Y justability in the lever whereby to ^accommodate itself to various distances between the-.rows of ledgers, and to be engaged and disengaged therefrom, as will hereinafter be `more fully described. .The Vadjusting ylevers are'suitablyformed of steelflat bar. stock, a bar 21/2d inche'swide and 'eygths ofanv inch thick being strong enough for generall useLY The. slot 14 is preferably formed by a hot punching'process, whereby, instead of removing anyv appreciable amount of material, 'the sides of the bar 12 are` swaged outer. expanded, ,asshown at 15, so that the total cross sect-ion ofthe bar is not. materially justing means whereby .tricd bythe spreaders 11'may betrue'd up 12 are Apiv'oted towardsfeach end. "of aspreader 11 on bolt 13 passingthrough the board comprising the beam,-.land profreduccd. The end of the barwhich enters Va slot 9 may have-formed on its lower .edge a notch or hook 15,.which, when 1t .drops over` the .inside edge of the channel wall in which the slots 9 are situated,will tend to` prevent the pulling out or displacement of the lever 12 from the slot ',9.

end of the lever projecting within the wall of rchannel 2, through which may be threaded ya locking wire 17, as` shown on the lever at the extreme right of F1g-2, the ends of the wire being brought out of the channelr and carried around the lever before being twisted together.l l .Y f

it is to be particularly observed that the .two levers 12 carried at opposite ends of the spreader 11 are disposed on opposite sides through the load center thereofso thatl any evenly distributed weight placed on top ofv and ytoy releasethe spreader that the mold;

fa-c",ng` may befreinovedr whenthe material of which theY ceiling is Vformed is partially hardened or cured,accomplishing bot-hi of these results without in any way disturbing the vposts or ledgers supported thereby and which remain permanently in place under .he cast ceiling untilA thedfmaterial yhas hardened for a suliicientrlength of time to render 'the removal vof the shoring entirely safe'n Y' The lever 12 alsolse'rve's as an adne mold: facing carwi-ith 'respect-1 to rthe permanent members lof themrold structure.,through the vertical adgus .nent of the spreaders.-

'The ad'ustmcnt of" lever 12 isA Ieffected by.

moving the operating end of the lever whichV carries a plurality of adjusting holes 18 to the desired level whereby the temporary mold facing 30 will bebrought into proper align ment with the permanent ceilingP supporting area 31 on the upper side of the inverted i-beani 2, herein referred to as a ledger.

The lever 12 is then. secured in place by4 tightening up the tie wire 19 which has preiuouslyr been passed through one of the vholes 18 and overithe top of spreaderli,

Such dis-` A, placement may be further safeguarded against by providino' a hole o1" eye 16 in. thev The ends eftying wire 19. are wrapped one or more timesaround the downwardly pro- ]ectingend of the leverand. then securely wire maybe passed throughone'of the `adtwisted tcgether. 'One or both'ends of thejusting holes` 18 in the operating arm oif the lever l2 lying below the edge of the spreader before jthe ends are made fast, as shown to the left in Fig. 2. 1

- The spreader 1l is preferably constructed in two sections longitudinally adjustable with respect to each other, whereby the length of the spreader may be varied to provide for different spacings of the ledgers which may be required in various forms of constructions. To this end the sj'ireaders may be constructed of two boards ll1 and l 2 approximately one inch thick and from seven to ten inches wide, this being ordinary stock lumber which is` readily available. These boards may be made in every way exactly alike, as shown, so that only the lefthand board 111 need be further described. Fig. Llsho-ws one-half of the composite wooden beam stripped of all accessory parte. The board ll1 is provided with a. plurality of adjust-ing holes 2l arranged at regular intervals'in two rows longitudinally of said board, the holes in each row being spaced approximately 1% inches apart and Ythe. rows being separated a suiicient distance to secure the maximum strength of the composite beam when the 'two boards lll and llz are bolted together through said adjusting holes. The holes should .be bored to snugly receive plow bolts of adequate strength, iron bolts of yhs inch dia-meter being suitable for the purpose. Only four of such bolts are required to fasten the two boards together, though more may be usedin cases where the comp site beam thus formed may be required to carry unusual loads. The line of adjusting holes 2l extends from a point close to the adjusting lever pivot bolt 13 previously described, over a distance of at least one foot, and preferably more, towards the opposite end of the board,the range of adjustment of the composite beam being governed by the lengt-h of the line of adjusting holes 2l. vTwo bolt holes are provided tol wards the end of the boards away from the pivot bolt 13 and vertically disposed one above the other in suoli manner as to eX- actly register with any chosen vertical pair of adjusting holes in the second board with which it is mated. The second board car-- ries two similar bolt holes registering with the adjusting holes of the first-mentioned board. Pairs of bolts 22 and 23 respectively are set with their heads flush in adjusting holes which will give approximately Ythe desired length of composite beam, and the pairs of bolts are then passed through. the bolt holes above referred to near 'the ends of the two boards, opposite the adjusting lever pivots ll, and nuts applied with suitable washers underneath to protect the boar/c By this construction there is afforded a spreader or temporary sustaining beam which isadjustable in length over a range of at least one foot and in steps of not more represents the chosen spacing of the adjusting holes. This spacing mayA obviously *bef varied. Accurateadjustments of theelective length of the spreader may, according to the present construction, be made to a small fraction of an inch by iirst choosing the adjusting holeA 2l nearest to the desired length of beam, bolting the two halves of the beam or spreader together, and then sliding the adjusting levers l2 horizontally along the pivot bolt l?) passing through slot le ofk the lever until t-he projection of said lever beyond the end of the board gives exactly the desired overall span for the spreader.

On top lof the described vertically ad.- justable sustaining beam or spreaderv 1l is placed, in process of erecting the mold structure, a suitable mold facing which may be f of any known form and made of metal or wood, as desired. A very satisfactory type of mold facing which may be readily handled and erected is made up in the form of wooden panels 32, approximately 22 inches wide and ten feet long. The material used is stock rl'ths inch matchedV boards held together by a number of transverse cleats or y battons securely fastened on the under side of said panels. The standard panels, beVn ing of uniform dimensions, may be rapidly .fitted together without any special carpentry to form large and continuous areas of mold facing. There will, of course, in certain locations be remnant areas into `which the standard panels above described cannot be litted, and-as a result suchareas must be provided with mold facing fitted by carpenters in the usual way. Such remnant areas, however, would never represent more than a small fraction of the total' mold` facing in a piece 0f concrete construction of any appreciable magnitude, and by far the greater part of the mold facing could always be erected by the simple and inexpensive process of assembling `the standard mold parts hereinbefore described.l

The order and method of erecting the ceilreo ing mold according to the present invenf tion, is as follows: The posts l are placed in a substantially vertical position with center to center distance being equal to the length j of ledgers to be employed. This may vary with different types of construction, but ledgers live feet long are suitabley for general use. A .ledger of this length, while formed of metal of ample gauge to render the .beam entirely safe, is sufficiently light to vbe readily handled by one man. Second, the inverted tl-beams or ledgers 2 are placed over the tops of the posts, the'ends of a beam` projecting over the post substantially to the center line thereof, the ledgers being then securely tied tothe post or to each other by means of .tie wires 7, as hereinbefore de-l scribed. Third, the vertically adjustable `and releasable spreaders or horizontal 'mold facing sustaining members 11 are then, after being adjusted to the proper length to extend from one linel of le rs to another, set up by engagingthe flat adjusting levers 12 in the vertical vslots9. Because of the vertical height of said slots and ther tacty that rthe adjusting levers `projectingtherein lit the-V slots with practical-accuracypthe spreaders l1 to which the adyusting levers are clamped .by pivot bolt 13 will be maintained iii a true ifertical position in which they ali'ord the maximum .resistance to bending strains imposed on them. a l

ll: the line of posts carrying the ledgers 2 are temporarily v.rigidly braced in a vertical position by suitable stay pieces (not illus` tiated) in accordance with v the common practice or erecting such posts, in order to place the sprcaders betweenthe ledgers, it

-may lbe desirable to loosen onefojf the pivot bolts 13 and retractfone ot the adjusting levers 12l to point where, vwithtlie opposite 'adjusting lever engaged in its proper slot .iii, let us say the right yhand ledger, the tree end of the spreader may be swung up `into a Yhorizontal position between the,ahiresai'dV parallel lines ot ledgers. The adjusting Aleve-r 12 to the Aleft of the spreader 11 is then extended byslippii'ify 'it along thelevei 'ot 14 until it properlyengages the slot 9 ofthe sliding the saidlever on the, boltl Locking wires 17 are tlien passed through the reyes 16 in the ends of thelevers and fastened, as previously described. The lever arms may be teijnporarily secured in rough adjust.

ment by wrapping the 'ie wires`19 ,which pass through one oli the holes '1.8 inthe operT Cil atiiig end 'ofthe lever and over the spreader 11, as shown, around the downwardly pro-VV jecting end of' thelevers vwhich 'extend below the` bottom edge of the sprcadei's. Some. of

the -niold facing is then put. in place. 'Vherever possible, it is desirable 'tok choose the spacing of the paia'll'el'rows of ledgers so 'that 'a desired Vnumber or standard panels-r will exactly lill the gap between them. In

lil)

the structurel illustrated three standard panels completelyV fill the spiace between the ledgers.'` f

AlfterV a part of the mold facing has'been.

laid on the v spreadeis, the levers12 are ad- Aju'sted to true upthe surtace or thefacingf .with respect Vto the tops'fl kor the ledgers,-

which tops` constitutefauxiliary ceilingen-y gaging areas forming party of theicontinuous mold surface and lvvliic-i'should-therefore be i; in substantial-ly perfect alignment vwithI the v spreader has beencorrectly adjusted, the

levers 12 are then secured in place by taking up on the tie Wires 19 and securely fastening thennfas heretofore described. The pivot' `bolts llshould be tightened to insure rigid vclamping otthe adjusting leverS to the spreaders 11 to prevent the vlatte-r members from tilting out' of a true vertical plane.

' The remnant areas which ycannot be lfilled by the use of the above described standard "mold parts are then filled nbycarpenters inthe usual way and the mold structure ready to receive the ceiling material` e `The ceiling is poured in the usual mannerL y and may liave-incorp-orated in it,y any desired system of r'eint'orcement.`r lThe mold structure, according tothe preferred embodiment of; the invention which v*has been described, is particularly suited to a typei'of ceiling construction in 'which instead ofi-a simple continuous slab lof `ceiling ymaterial being poured, structural'blocks otrelatively light weightare first laid ,uponthe mold aciifigin regular rowsfand vat 'a suiicient disr,

tance apartto permit vot' plastic-material which w-illzultimately constitute the major support of the ceiling as y:well -as its upper Sniriiace7 (the floor of. theA story above), being. I

ile-wed over and between them to formin ellct beams ot considerable depth. A 'floor or thistype is shown in sectionin Figure l. The, structural blocks 40, illustrated vrepresent cinder blocks 'which Vare highly porous and have ay 'maximum` of voids,`whereby,the

Weight'otthe ceiling is reduced to ,a mini-k muni.y vAny other light weight structural 1 fbloclrmay be employed, such, for example,

as hollow/tile. `The blocks 40,as shown, are

rspaced*apart a sufficient distance to permit molding betweenthem vcontinuous 'beams 41 of adequate dimensions" to support, when hardened, the weight, ofthe floor.,v which, be-l cause of its peculiar construction throughv f the use of relatively light iilling blocks, is iiotj verygueat.A Near tliebottoms otbeams 41 are placed substantial reinforcing members 42m accordance with regular practice ot'the ceiling into a rigidand continuous slab when,thematerialhasfset. 'A ceilingv of the type'above described is lessexpensive than one ot simple flat-slab construction and "weigl'is very much less than the latter. And yet, because oicxitsv reinforced beam constructionfitf-is amply strong'efor many structural 'l'n caseswh'ere thespecial beam and blockf censtructioii above referred. to 'is employedp` it 'f will be; necessary Vto erect the Vmold struc* ture insuch lnfianner 'as to position the fle'dgers 2/sub'stantially at right-fangleseto'the reinforced concrete' beams t1v Vformed between the liller blocks .40.7" Vis for the reason` linV forming concrete b'eamsnThe plastic ma@ terial of the vceiling; is lowedover the blocks to aV s'uicient depth to bind theupper partl liv-15 izo `that a kbeam and block ceiling foi-ined as vdescribed has practically no structural 'r strength along lines transverse. to the reinpio v.a sui `ening of the ceiling to a point where it can forced beams. The strength inv this directionr is lonly sulicient for the short span between two concretebeams which are near together. These concrete beams should be individually supported by the mold structure until they become of suflicient strength.

Therefore, the ledgers run transversely of them, passing under every reinforced beam and serving almost as effectively to support the ceiling structure as if posts were introduced underneath each of the said beams. The posts l and ledgers 2 are left in place Llicie'nt length of. time to insure the hardsafely sustain its own weight, and hence these elements are referred to as semi-permanent posts, semi-permanent ledgers, or generically, as semi-permanent mold members. .The word semi-peru1anent here used to indicate that members so described are to be left in position long as the ceiling requiressome form of' external support.

rlhe `mold facing` and horizontal sustaining members or spreadeis ll being removable vwithin a comparatively short time after the ceiling has been poured, will bereferreu to as temporary ceiling carrying members.

The fact that such temporary members may .be readily `rei'noved without disturbing the semi-permanent ceiling supporting members ,and after al relatively .short period of hardening or curing of the ceiling material, renders the use of the ceiling molds according to the present invention very ecoi'iomicai, as

the amount ofmold material tied up in any y given pieceof concrete construction is. very greatly reduced as compared with the usual practice ineonstructingceiling molds. ln

addition to this, as has been hereinbefore clearl Y 1iointed out the Green ceilinnl is at l 9 n o eliminated.

no timeleft unsliored, and the ditlicult and hazardous work of i'eshoring, commonly resorted to` at the present time, is entirely ln fromthree to live days the teu'ipoi'ary mold members are stripped by simply cuttin l the wire 19 tying the end of one of the ad- 'ustino levers l2 and lowerino' the Jreader ll by swinging the lever downwardly. The

` nut on pivot bolt 13 may then be loosened lfioY and the adjusting. lever pulled out of 'the ledger slot` 9 by sliding the lever along the pivot bolt which passes through the longitudinal slot 14 in the lever. lf the slots 9 of the ledger 2 are long enough the bolt need not be loosened.' Simply swing the lever l2 down far enough to disengage it from tbef s101119. VThe Vend of thev spreader Y1l thus ,freed from the ledger, is then swung down andthe lever at the opposite end of the ledger disengaged by simply pulling the spreaderA earr iin0` such lever awa i from the ledger "1 Y r3 vture now described.

meme() supportingthe end thereof. The spreadersI are preferably removed progressively from both ends of a section of standard panels so that the last remaining spreader will be somewhere near the center of the group of170 panels. By lowering the said last remaining Y `removed earlier than those supporting ceiling ar as in the clear. l The builder will naturally avail himself of the ability to re-v move such semi-permanent parts ofthe mold structure while certain other parts are still required to be kept in place, for the reason that that much mold material is released for use at other points, and also because, as mentioned, the early removal of ceiling supporting Vmembers permits -of betten and easier dressingrof the comparatively green ceiling surface. j

The post-s preferably employed are stock X l wooden timber and may be provided with any known means of vertical adjust ment whereby the ceiling mold may be trued up into a perfectly horizontal plane. Vln common practice the verticaladj ustment of the posts is accomplished by means ofv jizairs of co-operating wedges underneath the?V lfoot of the post. vIn removing the'ledgers,

the posts supporting them are lirst lowered sufficiently to free the ledgers fronrcontact with the ceiling, after which a line of ledgers may be takenr down by alternately removing a post and then the ledgerwhich it supported. Y

Y A modified form of the invention is illus-V trated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 This second form" f differs from the lirst hereinbefore@described Lin that the capacity for vertical adjustment and release ofthe mold facing resides in thel ledgers instead of in the spreaders, the spreaders in the modification now-tube described being simple wood beams or jcists which are laid on top of the ledgers and are y not necessarily in vany way fastened thereto. rlhe only semi-'permanent vmembers of a ymold structure, according to the present .modificatiom are the posts 6 1, the hangers` 85 and caps 75. The metal ledgers 62 and wooden spreaders 63l being rel'easable, are removed together with the mold facing or panels G4 when the concrete has partially hardened. The ledgers, sl'ireadeisy and panels may be, therefore, referred toV as the temporay members of the moldstruef l ln regular flat slab ceiling construction, the entire ceiling lbeing formed ofaoontinu'- Vinane one-half the width of tl'iefposiy c oi' f jbetween rows of pai ijomze The panels employed in themodiiied cony struction may be identical withjthose described in connection with the lpreti-irreal ein-V bodii'nent kof the invention orV of any other convenient size. These panels are'laid, as shown, immediately` on top of spreaders G3, which inturn, are carried by the adjustable ledgers G2. -These ledgers preferably de-` ?pend for their -ver ical adjustment upon lever. `syste in in. principle Asiilistaiitially equi-valent to that previously rdescribed in connection with `fthe vertically adjustable spreaders ll. 2). irihepresent ledger .62 isl in form an inverted llfbeani preterably pressed. from sheet .f-iteel.v The adjusting levers operate within the walls oil? `said U-beaiii,each lever being' benl; as to engagethe beam or led; 'A near its upper suiihice to support it, a nforcing lepiece Gbeing placed within the ledger to receive the siistaini iig` toreo .of the adj Listing levert?) and also to serve anell'ective guide for said lever, the opening between the arms of the said reinforcing lll-piece 6 6 being just snllicient to permit the free more ment .of the lever therebetween f he operating arm oft' the lever is adjusted iii the manner heretoforedescribed in connection with leversrlA in. the :form oiC the invention first discussed,v the end of the lever ,65' being provided, as shownvitli alireye S7 through f which a tie wirejGB ,is threaded. VVhen-the levervv has l the moldPac-ing, the tie wireflll` w M looped raround a cleat 69 fastened to the said wall, lieftwo Vends of the' wire being then 'twisted 'together to guard against accidental release of' the levers.

Since it is vpreferable to use standa'd recl tangular mold panels, the inoldfaeing is as y To ill the sembl'ed as Ashown in Fig. S. A space between certain rows of panels necessitated by thcinterponrion olitlie post caps 75, standard [facing strips 76- and 76. are. providedj Theselstrips are preferably et wood cutlo correct length tojust fit between,

successive'post caps aud are een" iently that the twostrips 7G''and 7G will h 'L lhese c 'are preferably tacked down toyeaeh wf,

latter from bein displacedV along the ledg- The koperatingends of the adjusting iev@ 'It willy be understoodv that een correctly adjusted to true upV hicir passes' threllfrii .the upper partei@ the beam wall isl 65 are preferably formed witha projection and again Fig. 8, the socket portion consisting of a section Yolf pipei'lattenedfat its lower .end and bolted to the upper end ofthe The short arm` of they adjustinglevi-irv engages apin 8O carried by a siipporting pole.

member 81 mounted on post G1. ll

l the endsof the ledgef 62, the adjusting leveiyifi, supporting members 8.1 `and the posts upon which such members are mounted, are all similar in j every respect to other. like: elements found throughoutthe mold structure.'y The follow? ving description, thereloifeywill sulice for all.

The `supporting member 8l coinprisestwo metal channels 82 and 823Y respeetively,each, v`

carrying near its edges V'a pluralityof corresponding li'oles Se. The` metal channels 82 and` 83 are lhungy on opposite sidesof the,y

post 6l lon hangers 85, thesaid hangers liav'` ing on their `sides lugs 86 adapted to pass through the'center of channels 82 and 83 and near their upper ends, as shown. vOnly posts 61,' hangers 85` and the square post caps 75 resting on top of the said liangers,' iemain permanently in place, the supporting inein-y `bei' 8l beingremovable with the temj'iorary mold structure.

at right angles to form hooks.

.ien

S5' being disposed between the surtacesl fof the post and vchannels 82' and 823 areclaniped rin position and `preventedfrom slippingl oilq the-top ends ottliepost'by atie'bolt 87a;

whichv passes through hole in they post and.

draws the channels on opposite sidesfthereot together. The lowerl ends of the channel members are secured to the post by a similar bolt 88j a distance piece '89 shown/in vdotted lines in Fig. 5, being introduced 'underneath eachfchannelniember Vto maintain the' said channels spaced apartfromj the faces oi? vlthe post and parallel 'theretoI i'or'the purposes that will presentlybe described;

The seriesof uniforinlyspaeed holes formed in channels 82 and=83 are adapted to receive pins 80 'and 8Or lic., whichV pass through corresponding holes :in the two channel to form supporting rungs for various purposes.` VThepin shown at SOvserves i as the pivot or ulerum for theadjusting' `leverr G5, the lever beingoi-med with an eye orhook in. its-end to receive'.piny 80;" The pins,`"when they have beeirputf in place-Aare "secured lagainst" displaceinent by nailsor v f other YL`suitable-Q,lockingpins 90A passing i' Ytlirough holes inthe .ends `ol said iirst-iiien# i ieV tioned pins 80. The pins 80 may also be provided with an additional hole 00 through which a wire loop may be passed to facilitate carrying a number of such pins from place to place. The end of each lever 05 is permitted to extend beyond the face of post 61 by virtue of the fact that the channel plate 83 is spaced apart from the post by the thickness of hangers 85 and distance pieces 89, which space is slightly wider than the thickness of the adjusting lever. This permits of the pinsk 80 being located close .to

the posts without interfering with the oper-V ation of the levers.

The spacing ofthe channels 82 and 83 away from the faces of the post which support them affords' other advantages. As

shown to the right in Fie'. 5 four )ins 80v b C7 7 l.

. spacev between thechannel 83 and the tace t the post is just slightly greater than the thickness of bar 91; such bar isaccordingly effectively supported against rocking or tiltf ing in either direction. A bar 91 positioned as shown, may be used to support special beams 92 adapted to carry special spreaders 93 used to support mold facing 94E over remnant ceiling areas where Aspace does notv permit of the use of the standard ledgers,

y spreaders and mold boards. liars 95 and 06 are similar to bar 91, and before stated,

`lever bars 65V may be used in any of these places.l By arranging a group of four pins in the form of a box, as shown, supports may angle bars 102 project downwardly, as shown.

Rectangular holes are punched in the'lower ends of such bars to receive cross bars-103, which latter are preferably formed of light channel material., rlhe cross bars arc held in place byV a locking pin 10ft and locking wire 105, the ends'of which wire may be tied 'together to form a loop which is use-V ful in carrying a number of the cross bars, or 'hanging ythem up so, Vthat they will not 'be lost when not in use. The crossbars are of sui'licient strength to carry special beams 10G, upon which short posts or other special mold members may be mounted to carry various remnant areas of the mold facing. The use of special stirrups 100 will in many instances avoid the necessity for placing various shores which otherwise would have to extend upward from the floor below. Such stirrups may be placed at various points along the ledgers, and for this reason readily lend themselves to a `number of special uses, as will be apparent to one skilled in the art. Drop panels, for example, or other portions of the ceiling which are required to project below the general ceiling level may be supported by members carried en the aforesaid special stirrups 100.

rlhe embodiment voli the invention illus-1 trated in Figs. and 6 contemplates the use Y of two parallel ledgers 62 supported side by side on a common pin carried by. supporting plates 83 and82. By such a construction the weight of the ledgers need only be half as great as if a single ledger were required to support the ceiling over the span 'which they cover, and in cases where the ceiling is.

wholly to one side of the line of ledgers, as, for example, would be the case if the ledgers were placed close to a wall of the building, only one of such elements would be required, thereby releasing the other for use elsewhere. A i'urther veryl considerable ,advantage of such an arrangement is that the mold facing to one side of the line of ledgers may be removed without disturbingthe mold facing lying to the other side, the ledger support-` ing the facing which it is desired to remove 'being freed therewith and available at once forercctionat another point. v Y

In the usual liat slab ceiling construction as has already beenpointed out, when the ceiling hasfsufliciently hardened to require only the support of posts at suitablekinter- .'vals, all the ledgers and moldv facing which` they support may be removed and immedi ately re-erected elsewhere, leaving nothing but the posts, the'caps 75 and hooks V85 to support the green concrete until it has hardcned sufficiently to be self-supportingln conclusion, it is to be observed that the entire process of erecting and taking down the mold structure, according to the present invention, is accomplished without `the destruction of any material whatever, no large nails beine' recuired at an Joint to in'ureV the aosts or other structuralv elements thefew connections where strength is necessary,

being elfec'tedby the use of wire. The mold structure can be erected by workmen with very little skill, the parts being all standard L and intcrcliangeable, making it possible to'V erect large areas of the ceiling Vmold by the simple process of assemblyfin fwhich all ot thel mold structure rare always left to support the green concrete, the major portion ofthemold materials maybe removed muchl semi-permanent posts, semi-permanent oeil- A ing supporting beams carried by lsaid posts, mold facing adapted to carry the main ceiling areas, and adjustable lever means disposed entirely below ther molding face, said means being supported by said beams and adaptedinV one position to hold said mold racing at the level oi'the vceiling and in another position to release said racing.

2. An adjustable horizontal support :for a ceiling mold structure havingboth semipermanent and temporary ceiling carrying members, said adjustable support comprising a beam adapted to sustain .said temporary carrying members, and adjusting leverusupporting said beam and supportedjby saidy permanent members.

B. A semi-permanent shoring structure for a cast ceiling, said structure comprising substantially vertical posts, and inverted U beams adapted to be laid over the said posts', at least a part of the tops of the posts lying within the walls of the beam, said inverted -U beams'forming aA continuous linealA support for the ceiling', Y

4. A semi-peruiaiient shoring structure, according to claim 3, .further characterized in that the said inverted U'beams are provided with positioning means adapted toprevent the longitudinal displacement of the L "ing structure comprising av beam, height ad-j v'justingmeans therefor comprising a sup-v` 1 porting lever -co-operating with said beam, vsaid lever having an extended flat surface said posts along the beams.

5. A semi-permanent snoring-structure, according to claim 3, further characterized in that' the saidk invertedl U beamsare 'provided withl fixed transverse vertical plates;y

removed from either V.endet the beam 4by substantially one-halll the thickness of one closure is provided to-V surround theftop of a post placed between them.Y

6. Al ceiling mold structurev including posts, ledgers supported by said posts and provided with longitudinal seriesl of slots, spreaders transverseto said 'ledgers and mold facing mounted on andsustainedjby said spreaders, the said spreaders being sup: ported by height adjusting 4leversfpivoted.

vmeans adapted to hold said spreaders andL engaging said: slots Yin they i ledgers to adjustably support the spreaders..

7. A ceiling' mold structure includ-ing lioi:-'

izontal beams, mold facing carried thereby,

sem'ielermanent. posts, levers. ulcr'umed at oneend below the molding tace and adapted as levers or the second class to support saidv beams at points near theV ends thereof and to transmit the weight of tlie'beam. to

said posts andreleasable fastening means adapted to fasten' the free operating end of said levers to said beams.

8. A ceiling mold structure including izontal beams, mold facing carried thereby, posts, `and levers transmitting the weight from the beams to the said posts and being adjustable to vary the height of a beam, said levers vbeing disposed entirely below vthe y' molding Jface.

1 9. A ceiling mold structure including horizontalbeams, mold facing carriedr thereby,

horj f posts, levers transmitting 'the Weight from v.

the beams to the said yposts and being ad'- justable to yvaryvthe height'o a beam, said ylevers being disposed entirely below the molding `face, and adjustablev fastening sired position.

l0.V A ceiling mold structure comprising semipermanent posts, the mold facing being supported by spreaders, the spreaders being supported by the said levers, the levers being supported by the said ledgers, and the ledgers being supported'by the said semi-permanent posts. 1

1l. In a ceiling mold structure 'a plurality of posts, a ledger comprising an inverted levers in a de- *95 mold facing, spreaders, levers disposed env tirely below the molding face, ledgers andy theends offsaid posts and are slottedto re-` ceive at desired intervals the end portion ofV temporary spreaders.,

l2. An 'adjustable Aceiling mold sustain bearing against'a verticalsurface' or" saidl beam, and supporting means co-operat-ing with said lever and adapted to receive one l end vthereof between two vertical lines of support whereby the leverand beamv will be securely held in a verticalplane.

v vymmetrically with respect to its center line.y v l 14. The structure'faccording to claim 12,

further characterized in` that .the Said sup- U beam, thevertical walls of which fit over porting lever has a pivot hole in the forni of a slot, a pivot pin being provided passing' through said slot and connecting said levei` y and beam togethei` whereby the extension of 5 the lever beyond the end of Jhe beam may be varied.

15. The structure according to claim 12,

further charaet eiized` in that the said leverv means of leXible tying means.

In'- Witness signed my nam whereof, I have 'hereunto ROWLAND T. VALES. 

